Humankind At Its?
by keaira19
Summary: After the War of the Stones, Myrrh had met great friends and people with whom she could trust...or so she thought. With time people change...and so they did. This is Myrrh's story. [FE:SS]


Hello! This is by far one of my favorite fics and I hope you readers like it! The inspiration for this story is from the modern world itself. I've brought modern issues into FE form and hopefully I executed it well! This is pretty much about Myrrh and her life after the war. Plus all the teary events that happened to the poor Manakete!

**Warning:** There are many time references in this fic; this goes from the present to the past to the present all over again. I wrote down when the time changes but I'm just letting you readers know just in case!

**Second Warning:** This is a sad, I-need-tissues kind of story with lots of angst, trauma, and tragedy (note the genres listed). You should not read this if you are easily upset. Otherwise, you're fine!

Reviews are welcome and ALWAYS appreciated! That includes criticism! Enjoy:P

* * *

Humankind At Its…?

--Present Day--

A smoldering rooftop caved in, muffling the cries of the small children trapped inside.

Myrrh closed her eyes for the scene that greeted them blurred her vision. Her fists clenched and her wings tense, she tried to remember back. Back to days spent in Renais with her friends… Back to visits in Caer Pelyn… Back to years of happiness…where sights such as this were nonexistent.

_--Flashback--_

_Myrrh wandered the grand halls of Renais with the royal twins, Ephraim and Eirika. The three friends toured Castle Renais together. They took meals with each other and chatted merrily. Ephraim kept his promise to her and acted like her older brother. Eirika even slept next to Myrrh as her father used to. The three friends became even closer with time. The War of the Stones was over leaving Myrrh not a care. Once, the three of them snuck into town undercover. They wore common robes and garb to mask their being. Myrrh wore a large cape to hide her jade colored dragon wings, a sure sign of her breed. They bought all sorts of treats and ate them cheerfully. All were having a brilliant time._

--Present Day--

Myrrh bit her lip hard, almost breaking through the skin.

_--Flashback--_

_But Myrrh's hands were sticky from the sugary treats and in her blind bliss, she ran towards the public fountain. She was smiling gleefully, her indigo hair dancing in the air. A couple of young boys ran past her, they were trying to win a race. But Myrrh was in their way and the boys knocked her down. As she fell on her chin, the cloak untied and revealed her wings. They alone were a physical reason of why she could not belong with humans…of how she _did_ not belong._

--Present Day--

Myrrh sniffed back tears that threatened to burn down her face.

_--Flashback—_

_"Ow…" Myrrh squeaked. She rubbed her chin and got up, ignoring the sting of the scrape. She was about to continue on when she noticed the deafening silence. Looking around she noticed that the stares and quiet was caused by her. Some gasped while others looked on in fear and disgust. Myrrh stared back, frightened._

--Present Day--

"Men always fear what they cannot or _will_ not understand. They fear those who are different from themselves and pose an assumed threat. And still, even now, after all these years, this has not changed." Myrrh whispered bitterly to herself. But she would not open her eyes for the events of the present were far worse than those of her past.

_--Flashback--_

_Ephraim and Eirika tried pushing through to help their fallen friend but their hoods had come loose, exposing their true identities. Their teal hair in view and their faces recognized caused awe rippling throughout the gathered crowd. Upon the sight of the Prince and Princess, they sought to protect their liege from the hideous monster before them. Blocking the twins from moving any farther prevented the last spark of hope for Myrrh. Knowing this, they cried out to Myrrh. But their pleas were fruitless for she was paralyzed with fear and could not hear anything but the rapid beat of her heart. Two archers and a man with a pitchfork advanced on her. They each held a wicked gleam in their eyes as they grinned malevolently. Myrrh took one hesitant step back and jumped into the air. Flying was harder than she remembered; her wings were weak and difficult to move. It is because I have been walking instead of flying, Myrrh thought sadly. It has made me neglect my other side…my dragon side. This is why I—no, _we_ cannot live with humans._

_Myrrh steadied her flying and quickly got used to it, her creature's instincts kicking in after they've been dormant for so long. An arrow whizzed by her, barely missing her soaring form. She heard Eirika cry out and turned around to see what happened. As she did another archer released an arrow that scraped her pale leg. Myrrh yelped with pain and flew faster than before, fear now propelling her with new strength. Ignoring the flames shooting up her thigh, Myrrh rocketed into the sky; never to return to Renais again._

--Afterwards--

Back in Renais, no one in that village ever forgot the "demon child". They told cruel stories of Myrrh's infiltration of the good town and how she tried to steal children away. With time her tale grew to false and gruesome disproportions. Along the stories bred hatred for all Manakete. People vowed to kill any they should see and declared to keep their children safe. King Ephraim, during his long reign, tried to change the hearts of the villagers. But he was ignored and rioted against for neglecting the safety of his people. No amount of persuasion would deter the angry and fired up village dwellers. Later, he was assassinated, leaving Queen L'Arachel and their teenage son to rule. The Queen did her best to satiate the countrymen but naught ensued. After years of fighting for what her husband thought best, Queen L'Arachel died in her sleep. The cause: stress from maintaining a country and the loss of her beloved. The new Prince decided that Manakete were to blame for his parent's deaths. He, unlike his parents, agreed with the villagers and let them disparage the dragon-kin. Hatred for Myrrh's kind had blossomed into full bloom.

--Present Day--

"Ephraim…Eirika… How I have missed you both. How I wish things had turned out differently so that our futures could be pleasant…instead of this, this horrid present. It is all my fault, I should have not gone with you to Renais. It was an immense error. I beg of you, please forgive my blunder." Myrrh said almost inaudibly. A single tear escaped her closed eyes and ran down her dirty face, clearing a trail of pale skin. "And dear, dear Saleh…please forgive me as well…"

_--Flashback--_

_"Lady Myrrh, I am overjoyed to know that you would like stay." the Elder answered happily. "You are always welcome here, Great Dragon."_

_Myrrh was content staying at Caer Pelyn. She had true friends like Saleh and the Elder who didn't care for her ancestry. On the contrary, she was revered for it. She could fly all she wanted and not be afraid to. She did not have to wear a cloak to conceal her proper self. She was free to be Myrrh. Saleh taught her the ways of Valega during her stay while the Elder told stories of her brave mother and father. In turn, Myrrh would share her stories with the village, tales of the war and of her father, Morva. Life was getting along perfectly until that dark day. The Elder was old and only got older. Human lives are only so long until they expire. And that day, the Elder passed away to meet the Everlasting._

--Present Day--

"Oh Grandmother…you were so wise. You said I should not be afraid to show who I am to the world. But look what it has done! Nothing but more pain and more death… I wish you were here too. To guide me…to tell me what I had done wrong. What I didn't do. What I could have done to save our world from disaster…"

_--Flashback--_

_Since her passing, Saleh would not speak with anyone. Not even Myrrh. He locked himself away in his room and never came out. Not for meals, or to use the latrine or to be whisked away in his people's comfort. Myrrh could not take it. She did not want to stay in a place where she did not have any friends. Myrrh decided to leave the next morning for Darkling Woods. That morning, she tapped on Saleh's door and told him of her leave. Wishing furiously that her departure would allure him outside, she said her farewells. And still he did not open his door. Angrily, Myrrh banged on the door. When she did, it opened to reveal a deserted room. Saleh was not in there. She spotted a lump under the bed covers and her curiosity took control. Pulling the blankets back she stared into the eyes of a dead man, lifeless and gaunt. Myrrh gasped and threw back the blanket over Saleh's body. With two friends dead and none more, she flew away. She flew away to her home in Darkling Woods, where she belonged._

--Afterwards--

When the Great Dragon left, she produced massive village uproars. None knew the reason for her leave and none thought of the correct answer. Some thought her to be yearning for her home but more cynical people beat that option down. They believed the Great Dragon to be nothing more than a deserter and not the protector her father was.

Not long after, Caer Pelyn was besieged by bandits and cutthroats. The peaceful folk of the quiet village were defenseless with no other protection available. Men, women, and children were massacred; their homes pillaged and destroyed. Villagers prayed to the Great Dragon for a speedy rescue but none came. In a matter of a few hours, the village of Caer Pelyn was reduced to nothing more than a singed patch of grass. Not many survived to tell the awful tale but some did and news of Myrrh's 'betrayal' spread like fire to a thatched rooftop.

--Present Day--

"Father…you were right and I neglected to follow your wise words… I broke the promise you begged me to keep." Myrrh murmured regretfully. "Forgive me…" Another shining tear wiped grime from her cheek and fell to the scorched soil.

_--Flashback--_

_"Myrrh…you do know why we cannot live with humans, correct?" Morva said calmly. A little indigo haired child stared back up at him. Innocent ruby eyes staring back._

_"No, Father. I don't know why. I've seen some humans before…they seem nice. Why wouldn't we be able to?" The young child's naïveté made Morva smile. He wondered how long ago it was when he was this pure._

_"Let me tell you something, Myrrh. And you must promise me that you will keep this in memory forever. Promise?" Purple pigtails bounced energetically with each nod. "Okay. It is because we are Manakete. We are human and dragon both, not one or the other. We have the hearts of humans but the power of dragons. Because of our hearts we do not belong with the dark creatures but because of our power we do not belong with humans. We are both which means we are also neither. We are a separate community and are not meant to intermingle with others. Unless the minds of all can change, that is the way it has to be."_

--Present Day--

"I did not understand why it had to be that way. I did not comprehend why we could not befriend those of a different kin for too long. I am sorry to say that I did not realize up until now. It only took a few thousand years to show me…and the loss of a brother, a sister, a grandmother, a beloved friend, and a future lover." Opening her eyes, she took in the scenery in front of her. Charred trees, collapsed homes, burning grass, smoky wisps stinging her pupils. Her gaze wandered to the mangled and burnt corpses that were once blameless people living their lives.

"Add to that list the annihilation of a delicate balance that you protected…and that I obliterated." Myrrh dropped to the ground, her calloused hands grasping dying soil.

"People have died, are dying, and are going to die because of me. I tried to…to defeat those boundaries we, you, put up. I believed that we could all live happily together. But it has caused nothing but death and sadness. Father…our people…the Manakete… We are almost no more. So many of us have fallen…fighting against the people I thought we could befriend…"

War cries and the sound of hoof beats disrupted her apologetic prayer. The clatter of steel clashing and the light of torches turned her head around. They pushed through what trees were left still standing and cut some down in their way.

"I am the last of our kind, Father. Our little Sagira, young and naïve Sef, loyal and strong Nakia… And dear Kafele, I wish I had not been taken with him. But I do wish you had met him, Father. You would have approved of him. He was spirited, strong, ethereal… But he is dead and they are dead because they struggled for their lives…and mere existence in this world." The battle lusted warriors set their sights on Myrrh and stampeded towards her like a horde of feral animals after a kill.

"It is sad…that when one family of persons is threatened, they seek out to demolish them. It is sad that even now, learned scholars can become war-raving beasts when intimidated." Myrrh sat up, holding her dragonstone to her chest, her crimson eyes growing fuzzy.

"I am forever sorry and I hope you will forgive me—" An arrow whished past her ear, barely missing her head.

"—when I join you in the afterlife." Another arrow met its mark in the heart of the Great Dragon as a last tear dripped down her cheek. It sizzled in the blackened ground where Myrrh crumpled. Jade wings hung limply from her back as a crystal rolled from her grip, flames reflecting on its surfaces.

The last of the Manakete had died.

--Afterwards--

Men cheered and laughed, patting each other on the back; congratulating everyone on a job well done. Teacher, farmer, steel smith, student, mother, son and more; celebrated the murder of the last dragon.

Good people of villages all over applauded the valiant man who slew a mere child with a dream.

How 'good' do you think these people are? How 'brave' do you believe this man is? And finish this: humankind at its…


End file.
